Galapagos Islands 8-Day Tours & Itineraries

Explore 11 trips designed by local kimkim specialists to get ideas for your trip to Galapagos Islands.

See our itineraries below or read our guide to the best 8-day trips in Galapagos Islands.

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Sunset along the waterfront on Isla San Cristóbal

Galápagos Island Hopping: Santa Cruz, Isabela & San Cristóbal - 8 Days

On this eight-day trip, get to know the unique and extraordinary wildlife of three Galápagos islands. You'll begin on Isla Santa Cruz, where you'll see giant tortoises, go kayaking, and tour the island's scenic bays. Then head to Isla Isabela for snorkeling, a volcano hike, and more wildlife spotting. Finish your journey in Isla San Cristóbal, where you'll relax on beautiful beaches, enjoy more snorkeling, and keep an eye out for tropical fish, sea turtles, marine iguanas, and rays.

Marine iguanas pause for their close-up on Tortuga Bay Beach

Gems of the Galápagos Islands & Quito: Isla Santa Cruz & Isla Isabela - 8 Days

Your eight-day holiday begins in Ecuador's capital, Quito, where you'll get a dose of culture as you visit its key landmarks. Next, jet off to Isla Santa Cruz in the Galápagos Islands to observe giant tortoises and various bird species. Take speedboat rides as you island-hop with grand ocean views, and go snorkeling off Isla Isabela to spot penguins and whitetip sharks. Finally, laze on the beach alongside playful sea lions and colorful Sally Lightfoot crabs.

Boat to an uninhabited island, like Bartolomé, for hiking and swimming

Classic Galápagos Tour: San Cristóbal, Santa Cruz & Isabela - 8 Days

First-timers to the Galápagos Islands will love this amazing introduction to the distinct wildlife that can only be found on this archipelago off the coast of Ecuador. Over the course of eight days, you'll base yourself on three islands—each with its own scenery and highlights—partaking in boat tours, snorkeling excursions, volcano hikes, and encounters with friendly residents like giant tortoises and marine iguanas.

Hike through prickly pear forests to reach Tortuga Bay

Jewels of the Galápagos: Isla Santa Cruz & Isla Isabela - 8 Days

Enjoy a week-long escape from civilization as you explore the Galápagos Islands. Visit the Santa Cruz highlands and Charles Darwin Research Station and learn all there is to know about giant tortoises and their conservation. Explore an uninhabited island and snorkel to discover an underwater world where you'll swim with fish and sea turtles. Hike the Sierra Negra volcano and bike along the coast of Isla Isabela. Learn about the islands' coffee and enjoy the sea breezes of Tortuga Bay.

Spot 10-legged, brightly colored Sally Lightfoot crabs against the black lava rock of the Galápagos

Galápagos Islands in Darwin's Footsteps: Quito, Isla Santa Cruz & Isla Isabela - 8 Days

Soak up a little culture in Ecuador's capital before heading to the Galápagos Islands and enjoying all the wild archipelago has to offer. Start in Quito, where you'll visit key colonial highlights; then, it's off to Isla Santa Cruz, where you'll mingle with and learn about giant tortoises. Explore uninhabited islands and rub shoulders with blue-footed boobies before hiking Sierra Negra volcano and snorkeling, swimming, and kayaking near Las Tintoreras and Garrapatero Beach.

Relaxing Galápagos Adventure - 8 Days

This easygoing itinerary in the Galápagos Islands, specifically Isla San Cristóbal and Isla Santa Cruz, is by no means lacking in adventure. Over the course of eight days, you'll volunteer with locals, snorkel at Kicker Rock, and boat to Darwin Bay to see rare bird species. You'll also partake in light hiking, biking, and swimming, mixed in with plenty of free time to relax on glorious beaches—often accompanied by sea lions.

Spot plenty of exotic wildlife, including green and orange lava lizards like this one

Best of the Galápagos: Isla San Cristóbal & Isla Santa Cruz - 8 Days

See the best of the Galápagos Islands' display of incredible biodiversity. This eight-day itinerary focuses on the "Enchanted Islands" of San Cristóbal and Santa Cruz, with daily private or small-group tours. Meet giant tortoises, snorkel with sea turtles, kayak among sea lions, and explore beaches of marine iguanas and blue-footed boobies. You'll also take a day trip to an uninhabited island to witness a thriving ecosystem untouched by humankind.

Relax on the inviting white-sand beach of Playa Cerro Brujo

Galápagos Islands Highlights - 8 Days

Pack your bags for a brisk eight-day jaunt around a couple of the Galápagos' most famous islands. On Isla San Cristóbal, you'll relax on soft white-sand beaches and go snorkeling at the region's most renowned dive sites. Then, after enjoying nature excursions on uninhabited isles, you'll transfer to Isla Santa Cruz for more boat tours, diving excursions, and wildlife outings.

Dive alongside turtles and tropical fish on an eight-day cruising adventure in the Galápagos

Galápagos First-Class Diving Cruise - 8 Days

Don your wetsuit and flippers and get ready to encounter a menagerie of exotic marine life on an island-hopping Galápagos diving cruise. On each day of this scenic eight-day experience, you'll enjoy at least one dive and sometimes three or four. By the time the adventure is over, you'll have explored the top snorkel and scuba sites throughout the archipelago, from Isla Wolf to Cape Marshall—plus enjoyed nature hikes to see land-based residents like the famous Galápagos tortoise.

Step aboard your luxury cruiser, ready to explore the Galápagos (photo courtesy of M/C Endemic)

Luxury Galápagos Cruise & Classic Wildlife Highlights - 8 Days

See the Galápagos in style as you cruise around Charles Darwin's favorite archipelago by luxury twin-hulled yacht. Hop between the most famous islands, like Santa Cruz and Isabela, as you explore hidden coves, lush highlands, massive volcanoes, and white-sand beaches. The wildlife is the real star here, and each day, you'll spend time with iconic Galápagos animals, including sea lions, iguanas, and giant tortoises, while evenings are spent in first-class comfort aboard your Jacuzzi-equipped boat.

Dive, swim, and snorkel the wildlife-rich Galápagos Islands

Galápagos Under the Sea Adventure - 8 Days

Experience the highlights of the Galápagos Islands both above and below the water on this eight-day adventure. It begins on Isla Santa Cruz, where you'll meet the local wildlife on dive tours and at the famous Charles Darwin Research Station. After enjoying kayak and boat tours, hop over to Isla Isabela for snorkeling and wildlife excursions before returning to Santa Cruz for some downtime before heading home.

Other durations: 5 days · 6 days · 7 days · 8 days · 9 days · 10 days · 11 days · 12 days · 13 days · 14 days

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